This past weekend I got to take two of my girlfriends to see Casting Crowns in concert at the Mass Mutual Center! It was such an awesome concert... and not just because I have spent the last several years being ministered to by their songs... but because I got to share this special worship moment with my friends! You see, these women have stood by me through my darkest most heart-wrenching times. They have listened to me, prayed for me, supported and encourage me even when I was least deserving. They've never judged me or pushed me to move through my struggles faster then I am ready to. They've just been there, with me, trusting Jesus for me...and I couldn't be more grateful. So as I sat there in this concert, letting each song bring up memories of where I've been and a celebration of where I am at, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed to have once again these ladies stand beside me.
You see I've never been very good at voicing my struggles. I have a tendency to bottle everything up because, as I shared in my last post, I fear if I show my weakness then people will reject me. And to be honest I haven't really told these ladies my whole story, yet in the moments I've come to them in need, they've shown me nothing but love.
The interesting things was during the Casting Crowns concert Mark C. Hall showed a video of himself speaking about how he witnessed to a friend and how it was his imperfection that allowed him to share the gospel humbly. His words captured this idea of letting God use your weakness to shine a light through you...and the truth of that sentiment really struck a chord with me. I think in part that was because I was standing beside these two women who have allowed Jesus to do just that through them. Neither of these ladies is perfect. And while they've always shown me support, they have also shared so many of their struggles with me and allowed me to support them too. Yet it wasn't until I was sitting there with them listening to Mark's words that I began to realize how it is in the middle of their struggles that I've seen Jesus the most. They've never been perfect, they've never had it all together, yet they have always allowed Jesus to use even their weaknesses to show them how to be there for me! In fact, they've often admitted their faults as in the midst of ministering to me, as a testimony to God's greatness! Standing there worshipping God with them while having this realization made me even that much more thankful for their lives and how God continually uses them to bless my life!
So while I went to this concert to enjoy some good music with good company, I left with the realization that God is always at work, and just like the bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, even (or maybe especially in) our weakness God is made perfectly strong! So, Lord, I pray that you would help me to be more willing to be vulnerable and allow you to minister to others through my struggles. Help me to learn from my friends and from this message from Mark that even my imperfections can be used by you to touch the hearts of others. Make me more like you Jesus and shine your light through me. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment